B.T. Atkinson's general corporate and securities practice includes a wide range of experience with public and private companies - including significant work with community bank organization and compliance.

Mr. Atkinson has extensive experience in merger and acquisition transactions involving financial institutions and other public and private companies. He has been involved in the representation of both underwriters and issuers in public and private offerings of debt and equity securities. He also regularly advises a variety of public and private companies, broker-dealer firms, venture capital funds, hedge funds and investment advisers on regulatory compliance matters under federal and state law and general corporate issues.

Prior to attending law school, Mr. Atkinson was an audit staff accountant with Price Waterhouse in its Charlotte office.

In addition, Mr. Atkinson's representative experience includes:

• Representation of a publicly-traded telecommunications company, in its sale for approximately $600 million

• Representation of a community bank in its organization as a North Carolina-chartered correspondent bank and initial offering of $45 million in common stock

• Representation of a specialty hospital company in a public offering of $112.5 million in common stock underwritten by CitiGroup